Computer networks, particularly public computer networks such as the internet, provide a common source of vulnerability with respect to protecting a confidentiality and integrity of data of users of the networks. For example, such network users may wish to manage personal bank accounts, perform online shopping or other business transactions, or send and receive personal, private email messages.
In these and other such web-based applications, the security of personal and private data is often maintained using confidential username/password combinations, or other user-specific credentials. Consequently, if a security of such user credentials is compromised, such as when a username/password of a user is intercepted over the network, then individual and financial information of the user, (e.g., bank account or credit card information, or personal emails) may be compromised. Further, in situations in which the network user is an employee of a business, and is provided with access to data that is confidential to the business, then a compromise of the user's credentials with respect to accessing business applications of the business often means that the business data is also compromised.
In many scenarios, such as when a network user is traveling, the network user may wish to make use of public access to the internet, and/or may utilize a publicly-available network computer (such as, for example in the context of an internet café, coffee shop, library, or other public venue). Such network environments, including such publicly-available network computers, may be particularly susceptible to attacks by malicious network users.
For example, a publicly-available computer may be infected by a computer virus. Then, such computer viruses may use, e.g., a keyboard logger, a network sniffer, or a full recording of a user session of a network user, in order to obtain, e.g., any user credentials provided by the network user during the session. Then, the malicious user may thus be provided with full access to any network sites which authorize use thereof based on the credentials. Thus, in these and other scenarios, a confidentiality and/or integrity of personal or business data may be compromised, which may lead to inconveniences, financial losses, or harm to a reputation of the network user, or of the associated business.